The Joy of Katelau-text

When Men are from Earth and Women are from Vulcan Fic Challenge

The Joy of Katelau

By Kevin

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned within this text are the sole property of Paramount Studios, UPN, and Viacom. I intend no infringement.
Genre: ME/WV Challenge, Romance
Summary: Trip and T’Pol learn to overcome the difference in their two species and increase the level of their intimacy and mutual satisfaction.

Author’s Note: This story is consistent with my New World Man series and takes place during the same time as New World Man: Introduction and New World Man: Vulcan Biology 101. The first scenes take place while the two are still on Enterprise but the last takes place after they’ve moved to Vulcan.

Trip

Trip drowsily lay in his bunk on his side. T’Pol was snuggled back into him and their fingers were intertwined together. She held his hands against her lower abdomen and he could feel her rapid heartbeat. It was so fast, he couldn’t detect individual beats, just a rapid fluttering. He was as fascinated by it as he was by her higher body temperature. Her normal pulse rate was over 220 beats per minute. Phlox told him that Vulcans, unlike Humans, increased their heartbeat the stronger they become. He said a Vulcan male, in peak physical condition, could have a pulse rate approaching 250 beats per minute. That was simply amazing to him.

Trip shifted his head and brought his lips close to T’Pol’s ear. “I love you more than anything,” he whispered in her ear.

In response Trip felt T’Pol push back into him and squeeze his hand tighter. “I know,” came her simply reply.

A smile came across his lips as he felt the depth of her affection through this magical bond he’d learned to use in the past few days.

He felt T’Pol shift and she turned to face him. It was amazing having his vision completely filled with her lovely face. He leaned in and kissed the very tip of her nose.

They were both naked under the covers but were too sore from yesterday’s marathon session to do anything this evening. Today was their first day on active duty and both were a bit tired after the past few days. So they proceeded through the first set of neuropressure postures she taught him before experimenting with a mind meld. He found that they could share in any memory either could recall. After spending almost an hour with their minds joined together more intimately than anything he even thought possible, they were tired enough to retire for the evening.

T’Pol moved her hand up to caress the right side of his face and he felt her presence in his mind even stronger. He pulled her in tighter and shifted his body so that she supported more of his weight. He felt her burrow her head underneath his and press into area between the pillow and his head. She took a couple of deep breaths and he felt a sense of calm come over the two of them just before he drifted off to sleep.

T'Pol

T’Pol woke up the next morning surrounded by Trip’s scent. She inhaled deeply and allowed it to rouse her. Now that they were mated, it was no longer an inappropriate behavior. She thought about this situation. His scent had always affected her in a way no other’s had. T’Pril told her long ago that a Vulcan female was always drawn to the scent of her mate. She wondered if it was a random biological coincidence that she was drawn to Trip’s or if there was some particular feature of his body’s chemistry that would affect any Vulcan female in the same way it did her.

Fortunately she was his, so she would never be forced to learn the answer to that question.

She found that being pressed up against him calmed her in a way she did not completely yet understand. She wondered if the root cause for her distress over the past several months was her continued attempts to push him away. She recently found the closer he was, the more in control she felt. In fact, it had been easier for her to focus on Surak’s teachings with him near. Her meditation was even more effective when they performed it together. She expected the exact opposite affect given the volatile nature of his emotions. But together, each gained the benefit and both were calmer and more relaxed when finished.

On a physical level, it was fascinating being in contact with him. His body’s temperature was less than hers but significantly higher than her quarter’s. Even though he felt slightly cool to her skin, he was still warmer than the surrounding air. With the heavy blanket he called a quilt pulled over them, they were very warm and relaxed.

A little drop of moisture hit her cheek. She struggled to suppress a smile at his drooling. She remembered the first time she observed it nearly ten months ago. She wondered how much pain they could have avoided if she had simply informed Trip of her intention to be his mate then. After she convinced him to accompany her to Vulcan, she had intended to make the proposal at fire plains in the foothills of Mount Seleya where battles were waged in ancient times for the possession of the most desirable females. Since her attraction to Trip had started with the most primal of Vulcan desire, it seemed appropriate to make her proposal in that ancient place.

Instead she had wed Koss in a pointless attempt to help her mother. She accomplished nothing but causing them each a significant amount of pain.

A strong desire passed over T’Pol. She maneuvered Trip around gently trying not to wake him. She wrapped her legs around him and pressed his groin against hers. She also wrapped her arms around his chest and gently squeezed him against her. Trip mumbled something in his sleep as she wrapped herself around him.

Sensing that he was still asleep she slowly tilted him until most of his weight pressed down against her. A slight purr escaped her throat as a warm sensation passed over her katra. She would keep herself wrapped around him and feel his bulk press down on her until he awakened.

What happened after that would depend on how much time remained before their duty shifts began.

Trip

Trip was so horny he thought he was going to burst. But T’Pol insisted they complete one final posture. The effects of their earlier mind meld still lingered on and each felt the other’s building arousal. As she leaned back and spread her legs slightly to give him access to the pressure points along the insides of her calves, he didn’t need their link to figure out she needed it as bad as he did.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. He felt the heat rise up his neck. He felt his erection throb incessantly. He was almost afraid of it accidentally brushing against T’Pol. He was so wound up; he might actually go off all over her. He was pretty sure she was in a similar situation. The tips of her ears were much darker than normal and he was pretty sure she could poke an eye out with those nipples.

But she told him there was one more posture so he had to hold out. Fortunately T’Pol didn’t seem to like long and slow and seemed to much prefer fast and frantic. He had tried long and slow once thinking she might enjoy it. While she didn’t come right out and say it, he could tell she was frustrated at how long it took. Of course, right now long and slow wasn’t possible–whether she liked it or not. He moved himself between her outstretched legs.

“Apply pressure roughly ten centimeters below the area where the tendon meets the knee,” T’Pol said. The sound of her voice seemed… seductive.

He moved his hands to a fleshy area that he guessed was roughly the right spot. “Here?” He looked up at her.

“A bit lower,” she directed and he moved his fingers. “A bit more… Yes, right there…” He tried to memorize the exact spot so he could repeat the procedure. “Just apply gentle pressure. Little effort is needed.”

Trip wasn’t quite sure why he was applying pressure here. She told him nearly all of her nerve endings were in her face, neck and ears. The few that weren’t were mostly concentrated in her breasts. Maybe she was trying to test him? “I thought you said Vulcans don’t have many nerve endings below the waist… What’s the purpose of this posture then?”

“It is to enhance the blood flow to my lower extremities.”

From where Trip sat, there was plenty of blood flow. Her whole body was taking on a bronze flush, as she got more excited. “It looks to me like the blood’s flowing just fine…” He chuckled to himself.

“Please repeat on the left leg.” He moved his fingers to her left calf and gently moved them as directed. “Right there… That is sufficient.”

Trip leaned back on his heels. He felt his erection throb and bounce against his abdomen. He felt the clear fluid ooze out and start to slide down the shaft. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out before he pounced on T’Pol. Something drew him to the area between her legs. Her… vagina… or whatever Vulcans called it… was interesting…

It had opened up like… a flower with petals on each side. He smirked as he realized that sounded like a pretty girly thing to think. He hadn’t really though it about much before, but he noticed it was a fascinating blue-green color… It reminded him of oxidized copper plating. It also… glistened.

Trip somehow sensed T’Pol caught him staring and he looked up to see her arched eyebrow. She looked so… unlike a Vulcan sprawled out naked before him that he smirked in order to repress a chuckle. For some reason, though, he didn’t feel ashamed. “I was just thinking how different it is.”

“In what way?” She asked him.

“Well…” He tried to contain his grin. “It’s color… It’s kind of bluish green.”

“Of course… My blood is copper based. It would not be pink.”

Trip chuckled again as she stated the obvious. “Well I never thought much about it.”

“Trip, this is not the first time we have engaged in sexual relations.”

While Trip agreed that was true, it was also the first time he ever paid attention. This was the first time he actually looked at it and thought about it. Trip smiled. “I know, but this is the first time I paid attention to it… Plus it’s kind of… strange, I guess… that… you know…”

T’Pol must have known exactly what he was talking about. “Based on the descriptions I have read, I believe the very tips of my ears perform the same role as a Human female’s clitoris… You should very well know this by now.”

Trip leaned back and rolled his eyes. He had learned how sensitive the tips of her ears were. In fact, he somehow knew the first time they had sex over a year ago.

An idea popped into Trip’s head and he leaned over very close to her groin. He not only could feel the heat radiating off her but also the smell of her arousal. He had detected it a few times in the past, but right now, this close to her, the scent was stronger than any time in the past. He closed his eyes to focus on the smell and inhaled deeply. He couldn’t imagine smelling something so wonderful. It was a completely different smell than any woman he’d ever known before.

He had no words to describe the smell. He was an engineer, not a poet.

The thought occurred to him that only he could evoke this reaction by T’Pol. That caused his pride to swell and he let loose a rumbling growl in his throat.

“You smell wonderful,” came his simple statement. He wasn’t quite sure why he felt the need to say that.

Trip watched as T’Pol sat up and moved aggressively toward him. If anything, this only turned him on more. He backed off in response and he was sure a smile stayed on his face as she moved toward him. She looked like a feline stalking her prey.

She climbed on top of him and straddled his waist as he moved his hands up to her breasts. He gently rubbed the nipples with each thumb while moving the tips of his fingers along the underside of each breast. He knew this didn’t provide as much pleasure as when he stroked her ears, but at least it would add to her arousal a bit while she formed the link. Plus he loved playing with them as they were similar, but yet different. They were considerably firmer and the undersides had a fascinating feel. He loved to run the very tips of his fingers along the undersides.

T’Pol moved her left hand to his shoulder before moving her right hand to the contact points along the side of his face and she initiated the meld. He gasped as the meld formed. For a moment he felt disoriented until the link was fully established and their minds were joined. He felt a white heat pass through him over the meld. Together their arousal spiraled upward as each fueled the other’s need.

Trip’s hand moved from her breasts to her hips and he guided himself into her as she lowered herself onto his dick. With her muscle control, he felt like he was wrapped in a satiny sheath made just for him. And with her higher body temperature, it felt like the sheath was wrapped in a hot water bottle. It took most of his self control just to keep from falling over the edge already.

No, this wasn’t going to last long at all. Fast and frantic just like she liked it.

Once she had him fully inside, he moved his hands to both her ears. They each knew he was so close and Trip maximized the pleasure he gave her by focusing his attention on the tips and the rear shell of her ears. As she moved energetically on top of him, he knew he had no hope of lasting much longer. It would be a matter of mere seconds now before he came.

Suddenly Trip’s field of view started to fade and he completely lost the ability to think. All that mattered was trying to hold off his orgasm for another second or two. He was swirling each thumb across the very tips of her ears and she had lost all control was bouncing frantically over him. He heard the sharp keening sound she often made. His own upward thrusts matched her downward thrusts in their intensity.

He came undone and erupted inside her. He wasn’t sure, but he might have released a long groan. He felt her start to fall forward as he thrust deeper into her until he was done ejaculating. He still had tunnel vision and his head was swimming. Either that or something was wrong with the grav plating and the room really was spinning. He chuckled and doubted his orgasm was strong enough to affect the grav plating.

T’Pol fell forward and landed across his chest as they tried to catch their breath as his heart raced out of control. Even though his erection was going away, she held him inside her. Trip shifted her slightly so he could plant the soft little kisses just under her jaw that he knew she liked. He used one free hand to gently trace the length of her spine.

She slowly eased out of the meld and wrapped her arms around his chest as the two basked in the afterglow some pretty great sex. With their minds so intimately joined together at the critical point, the effect was overwhelming. His orgasms with her had always been stronger than anything he’d ever experienced. But his feelings combined with hers as he stroked her ears, made him think his brain was going to melt at the moment of climax. When he came inside her, he couldn’t even see for a moment. His vision was filled with flashing lights.

“That was amazing,” he stumbled out. He moved her face to his and pressed his lips to hers. T’Pol opened her mouth and allowed his tongue access so he could suck hers. She seemed startled the first time he did it and assumed Vulcans either never kissed, or if they did, they didn’t use their tongues. Of course, she also seemed to encourage him to suck on her tongue each time they kissed after that. She must like it.

Trip was happy they were joined for life. There was no way he could have sex with a woman after this. He wondered if something else changed because every time he tried to remember any of his past experiences, he couldn’t. Every time he tried, his mind was drawn to T’Pol instead. That was okay with him since those were better than anything he’d ever experienced before.

Trip felt T’Pol shift her bodyweight so they rolled over to their sides. He smiled and ran his hand along her cheek. When she wrapped her legs around his body, he had a pretty good idea what she wanted. He rolled them the rest of the way so that all of his weight was pressed down on top of her. He moved down to kiss her again and found her mouth already open and her tongue ready to be sucked.

T'Pol

T’Pol’s head was already swimming with desire and Trip had not yet completed the final posture. The effects of their earlier mind meld still lingered on and each felt the other’s building arousal. As she leaned back and spread her legs slightly to give him access to the pressure points for the next posture, she observed that it was unnecessary to use their link to recognize their arousal.

Her ears felt like they were on fire and she was certain they were tinged with an obvious bronze flush. Even if they were not, her rock hard nipples pointed toward the ceiling as well as the wetness between her legs indicated she was ready for him. She needed to be disciplined though so that he knew the full set of postures. Based on the pink flush along his cheeks and his throbbing erection, he was just as ready.

“Apply pressure roughly ten centimeters below the area where the tendon meets the knee,” she said. The sound of her own voice was a bit deeper and throatier than normal.

“Here?” He looked up at her.

“A bit lower,” she felt him move his fingers. “A bit more… Yes, right there… Just apply gentle pressure. Little effort is needed.” She detected the change soon.

T’Pol saw him look up at her. “I thought you said Vulcans don’t have many nerve endings below the waist… What’s the purpose of this posture then?”

She could tell he was confused but still curious. “It is to enhance the blood flow to my lower extremities.”

She watched as Trip tilted his head and looked between her legs. “It looks to me like the blood’s flowing just fine…” She heard him let out a chuckle.

“Please repeat on the left leg.” She felt his strong fingers gently move to her left calf. “Right there.” Again she detected her body’s reaction. “That is sufficient.”

Again she looked down at him as he leaned back on his heels. She watched as a bit of fluid leaked from the slit at the head of his penis and trailed down the shaft. They were not going to be able to hold out much longer. She noticed that his eyes were focused directly between her legs. He was studying her cleft intently.

She raised her eyebrow and changed her mood. He must have understood her silent question. He smirked as he caught her face.

“I was just thinking how different it is.”

“In what way?” She wondered.

“Well…” She saw him struggle against a grin. “It’s color… It’s kind of bluish green.”

“Of course… My blood is copper based. It would not be pink.”

Trip chuckled again. “Well I never thought much about it.”

“Trip, this is not the first time we have engaged in sexual relations.”

Trip smiled. “I know, but this is the first time I paid attention to it… Plus it’s kind of… strange, I guess… that… you know…”

T’Pol knew exactly what he was talking about. “Based on the descriptions I have read, I believe the very tips of my ears perform the same role as a Human female’s clitoris… You should very well know this by now.”

She watched as he leaned back and rolled his eyes.

She tilted her head to the side as he leaned over and brought his face very close to her groin. She watched as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. She heard a muted purring or rumbling noise come from his throat and she felt the pride well up in him. She could not remember him having that reaction before at all.

“You smell wonderful,” came his simple statement.

That was too much for her. They had delayed nearly to their limit of patience. She sat up and moved aggressively toward him. He backed off in response and a smile stayed on his face as she moved toward him.

She straddled his waist as he moved his hands up to her breasts. He gently rubbed the nipples with each thumb while moving the tips of his fingers along the underside of each breast. The stimulation was not as intense as when he moved to her ears and neck but it was enough to keep her at a simmer until she initiated the meld.

She moved her left hand to his shoulder in order to steady herself. Her right hand moved to the contact points along the side of his face and she initiated the meld. For a moment she felt disoriented until the link was fully established and their katras joined. Together their arousal spiraled upward as each fueled the other’s need.

Trip’s hand moved from her breasts to her hips and he guided himself into her as she lowered herself onto his penis. She basked in the pleasure he felt as the friction of her internal cavity came down around him. He told her that her body heat made this an amazing feeling.

Once she captured him inside of her, he moved his hands to both her ears. They each knew he was so close and Trip maximized the pleasure he gave her by focusing his attention on the tips and the rear shell of her ears. As she moved frantically on top of him she could tell he was very close. It would be a matter of mere seconds now before both of them reveled in his orgasm.

She knew his climax was nearly upon them as a blinding surge of emotion washed over her through the link. He was swirling each thumb across the very tips of her ears and she had lost all control. She heard the sharp keening sound escaping her lips as his upward thrusts matched her downward thrusts in their intensity. She also heard him grunt each time their bodies slammed together.

She began to get tunnel vision and flashes of light filled what remained of her field of view. She stopped breathing for just a moment as he erupted inside of her. She started to fall forward, completely disoriented while he aggressively thrust himself deeper into her as he continued to ejaculate.

She fell forward and landed across his chest as she tried to catch her breath as her heart raced out of control. She felt him soften inside of her as he planted soft kisses just below her jaw line and gently caressed her spine.

She slowly eased out of the meld and wrapped her arms around his chest as the two basked in the afterglow of his orgasm. With their minds so intimately joined together at the critical point, the effect was overwhelming. This was far better than months ago when their connection had been only minimal.

“That was amazing,” he stumbled out. He moved her face to his and pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth and allowed his tongue access so he could suck on her own. It was a fascinating sensation that took her completely by surprise the first time he did it. When she had kissed Sim, he had merely sucked on her bottom lip. That was nowhere near as… pleasurable… as when Trip sucked on her tongue.

She counted herself fortunate she could form the deep mental connection with Trip. She could not imagine how… limited… her experience would be if she were unable to experience his orgasm for herself. His expert stimulation alone would not make the experience as satisfying.

The only thing that could make the experience better would be to have his bulk weighing down on her. Unfortunately they had tried and the mechanics simply were not optimal. Since she had to initiate the meld, the most satisfying position was with her on top so he would have both hands free.

She did the next best thing and shifted her bodyweight so they rolled over to their sides. Then she wrapped her legs around his body and he rolled them the rest of the way. As least this way she could have him pressed down on her while they continued the interplay with their tongues until his erection returned. She had ensured he remained nestled inside her so she could feel it expand inside.

T’Lyr lay on her back in bed. Recently she was having difficulty sleeping due to her son’s activity. He had developed to the point in her pregnancy where she could detect differences in his state of awareness. He seemed most aware late at night and became active when she normally should have been sleeping. Even if she were somehow able to put him out of her mind and sleep, his movements and occasional kicking would have woken her up.

That meant she adjusted her sleep cycle to match his activities. Skon was asleep beside her, as he needed to leave for his teaching position early the next morning. Their situation was… fortunate… in a sense. T’Pol and her Human mate, Commander Tucker, had taken them in so they could raise their son on Vulcan. Although as guests she and Skon should have been responsible for the household duties, T’Pol and Commander Tucker refused to relinquish much of that responsibility. The Commander’s only explanation to T’Lyr was ‘you are pregnant’.

That explanation was as illogical as much of his behavior, but she had come to appreciate it recently as her sleep and meditation routine had been greatly affected.

She was now engaging in a habit she had picked up from Commander Tucker. She looked at the plate resting on her swollen abdomen as she brought the piece of fruit to her mouth in order to take another bite. Normally she would have refused to touch food with her hands, but she found holding the pepper by its stem was the simplest way to eat it. Using a fork or tongs made the eating process too cumbersome to bother with.

After she took another bite and felt the slight burning sensation fill her mouth, she thought about this fascinating Human food T’Pol grew in her garden. Commander Tucker tried to teach her to pronounce the name but it contained sounds not present in the Vulcan language. T’Pol told her another name was Capsicum annuum or she could call it a chili pepper. Another intriguing property is that one normally ate this fruit before it was ripe. Although it could be picked when ripe and it produced a red fruit, normally it was picked when green. One could eat it just off the vine as she was doing now, or it could be prepared and added to a variety of dishes. If the seeds and inner veins were removed, the fruit took on a completely different flavor and was tangy with no trace of heat. Often Commander Tucker would roast the peppers over an open flame to remove the skin. This yielded an entirely different flavor too.

T’Lyr was distracted from her fascination with the fruit by a grunt in combination with a gasp. They are starting for this evening.

She wondered if T’Pol ever regretted her bonding with a Human.

Once again T’Lyr knew she was to be exposed to the various sounds of their... copulating… coming from down the hall. She had heard it many times since moving into their home. It was especially noisy and protracted on evenings such as this one, prior to their days away from work. She would be forced to listen to their various grunts, moans and yelps for the next hour or two. It did not sound like a pleasant experience at all.

From the anthropology course she took many years ago, she knew Human males needed to copulate daily in order to prevent damage. As Commander Tucker’s mate, T’Pol would be expected to satisfy his biological need in the same fashion as she satisfied Skon’s Pon’farr. She was curious if the effect were similar. Both Skon and her were consumed by the blood fever for nearly three days. It had been a messy and unpleasant experience, but the drive to mate was impossible to ignore. She could not imagine being forced to endure that every day. At least T’Lyr rationalized the need for their event since the purpose behind Pon’farr was to enable procreation. Commander Tucker and T’Pol could not produce offspring in that fashion, so their effort was wasted.

The curious fact was that T’Lyr did not hear the noises every day. Normally she heard them two or three times a week, even though the couple’s evening behavior was similar each day. They would return from the Starfleet facility for the evening meal. They would normally then go to the second floor observatory. T’Pol said occasionally they used the computer access for their Starfleet assignments, but normally their time was spent mapping various binary and trinary stars with non-visible components. The only deviation from this routine were the times when Commander Tucker would request Skon’s assistance with a complex mathematical problem or when the four of them attended a lecture.

At some point in the evening, T’Pol would retire to their bedroom to meditate. Commander Tucker would then help with any cleaning tasks that she had not been able to complete. As she progressed farther into her pregnancy, this became a more frequent occurrence. Before finally retiring for the evening, Commander Tucker would retrieve I’Kea and I’Nan from their evening hunt. T’Lyr normally tried to make sure she had retired to her bedroom for the evening before they returned. Frequently one of the two sehlats would return with a still-alive lizard captured in her jaws. If T’Lyr were there, the lizard would be deposited at her feet for approval before the two consumed it.

Most nights the couple was silent and she wondered if the information she learned was incorrect, or if Humans engaged in two distinct forms of sexual intercourse and only one form involved the unpleasant experience that caused the sounds. While she was indeed a scientist, she was a stellar astrophysicist and not an anthropologist, and did not wish to know any more about Human mating practices than what she had already been exposed to. She currently knew more than she cared to know.

She finished eating her peppers and as returned the plate to the kitchen, she heard a distinct growling noise coming down the hall. She recognized it as the throaty growl Commander Tucker made when he played with the sehlats in the stone garden. She knew T’Pol had taught him the same technique Vulcan children used to gain a sehlat’s trust. Both animals seemed to prefer his presence while they waited for T’Lyr to give birth. As she returned to her own bedroom, T’Lyr heard a troubling sound. Commander Tucker’s growling was joined by… laughter. This laughter was different than any she heard from Commander Tucker in the past. A slight scowl came across her face as she assumed the laughter was coming from T’Pol. T’Pol’s mating to a Human seemed to cause her to behave inappropriately.

She looked down on the sleeping Skon. She was fortunate her parents chose well. He was a respectable mate and they only engaged in neuropressure often enough to maintain their bond. Weakening their emotional control beyond that was not something either of them believed appropriate. They shared interests and a bed and created a child together. That was enough for the both of them until his next Pon’farr overcame the two of them.

The End

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!

A whole mess of folks have made comments

Hmmm. Sounds like it sucks to be Vulcan, if you ask me... unless you happen to have a Trip lying around. ; )

Good one , Kevin.

Enjoyable story! I liked the three POV's, especially T'Lyr's. The part about peppers was inspired, though her musings on TnT's sexual life were amusing/interesting.

Thanks for contributing to the challenge, Kevin! Loved T'Lyr's perspective on the human/Vulcan relationship, and insight into Vulcan sexuality. I'm not sure I agree completely that Vulcan's don't enjoy sex. T'Les was obviously very fond of her husband, and I keep remembering the way she stroked Trip's shoulders as she remembered her husband wearing the clothes - lots of affectionate memories there.

And, for the rest of you, how about some more stories for this Challenge? Kevin's taken care of sex--Anyone got a story on differing attitudes toward politics? vacations? food? (I know, I know, I'm one to talk. I'm still trying to think of something to write - I haven't read all of the stories in the challenge yet, because I don't want to be influenced.)

"From the anthropology course she took many years ago, she knew Human males needed to copulate daily in order to prevent damage." < - Heh. I guess that's the same school that Kov went to, huh?

The one thing I'd point out, myst, is that T'Les was also a Syrannite so it's likely that her bond with T'Pol's dad was quite a bit more emotional than was normal for pre-Kir'shara Vulcans. And besides, maybe a certain pregnant Vulcan is just telling herself that so she won't experience envy. ;)

Thanks for making Vulcans alien again, Kevin. What is it with you people and writing these NC17 fics while I'm at work anyway?

"maybe a certain pregnant Vulcan is just telling herself that so she won't experience envy. ;)"

I agree, Rigil. I think I definitely detected a hint of sour grapes in her rationalization of TnT's sexual shenanigans. Was that intended, Kevin, or am I just projecting my own feelings again?

Thanks everyone for the comments. I was kind of worried how this would go over since its NC-17.

For me, and I may be in the minority here, I never have bought the idea of Vulcans "going at it" outside of Pon'farr. When Trip asked Kov about it, he only mentioned the seven year cycle and their attempts to make it more frequent.

Since Vulcans are touch telepaths and form mating bonds, in my story world, intimacy and affection are linked to touching the face and neck in addition to neuropressure. "copulating" is nothing more than a means to reproduction and normally doesn't happen outside of Pon'farr. It also gives me another reason why Vulcans view Humans as inferior. We're rutting pigs. :-)

In my mind, T'Lyr is in no way envious of T'Pol. I used words like "forced" and "unpleasant" intentionally to convey that. T'Lyr would *never* trade what she and Skon share for what TnT share.

But if you want to project your own feelings and make her envious, I don't really have a problem with that, as long as it helps you enjoy the story. :-)

Thanks, Kevin. (That was me up there with the envy comment, BTW... just got distracted and forgot to sign my comment.) *rolls eyes*

Another good story, Kevin! And you've written a long string of fine ones now. I would agree with Myst on the Vulcans not enjoying sex bit though. I guess what most threw me is the implication - at least that's how I'm reading it - that T'Pol isn't able to orgasm herself per se, but rather enjoys Trip's orgasm telepathically. Is that right? Is how you meant it to read?

I was hoping someone would pick up on that. This is still early in their relationship and one of the tenets of "New World Man" is that they are the first Human male/Vulcan female pair. So they have to play things by ear. :-) Another thing I try to avoid in my stories are characters who are all knowing. No one in real life ever has the complete picture of anything, so I want my characters to be that way too.

T'Pol's in an interesting situation. There are tons of books on Human sexuality available to her via Starfleet's deal with Amazon.com. On the other hand, the extent of her knowledge of Vulcan sexuality was her mother's 30 second paragraph on how to recognize her mate's Pon'farr and the simple sentence "when Koss' is overcome with the blood fever, you will know what to do". I think everyone would agree that wasn't much help for the way her life turned out. :-)

Given what she knows, and the fact that they are still kind of overwhelmed by everything, she's making what she thinks is a fair assumption and believes she's telepathically experiencing his orgasm. However, something to also notice is that in "Harbinger of Things to Come", "Hanging on a Limb" and this story, Trip's are far stronger than anything he's ever experienced before.

The purpose of this story was to highlight differences between Human and Vulcan sexual mores and show how with a few adjustments, Trip and T'Pol work things out. But they are in uncharted territory and so figuring out all of the reasoning behind what they experience takes significant time and I wanted to sprinkle more of those details in future stories so I can have a common theme.

Without giving too much away, when they are simultaneously having sex and joined in a mind meld, the idea of "his" orgasm and "her" orgasm is meaningless. It is "their" orgasm.

As far as Vulcans not having sex, it's not just a reaction to most stories that portray Vulcans as Humans with pointy ears. My opinion is not just based on Kov's statements but also T'Pol's in season 3 when she "explored Human sexuality" with Trip. While clearly she didn't share all of her reasons with Trip, I simply refuse to believe she intentionally told him something false. So it's not just a desire to make Vulcans alien but also is consistent with what we see in ST:ENT. How the discovery of the Kir'shara affects Vulcan society would be interesting, but hasn't had a chance to play out here in just a few short months. Vulcan society is struggling with far larger topics.

But that isn't to say no Vulcan couples have sex outside of Pon'farr nor only Vulcan couples have sex. Just as 75 years ago "sex was missionary position, in the dark, for the purpose of having children" even though that wasn't always the case, I'm sure there are those who deviate from the norm. :-)

Very thourough explanation there. Does anyone remember exactly what Kov said about scientists trying to increase the frequency of Vulcan sex? I think alot hinges on that.

Here is what Kov says:

... So many inhibitions. [He pauses] Vulcan males are driven to mate once every seven years [Malcolm and Trip are stunned] Over the past few years we've been developing methods to accelerate the mating cycle

After Trip and Malcolm express their disbelief, Kov had every opportunity to correct their view, it is was in error. He only mentioned they were trying to speed up the process. If Vulcans have sex outside of their mating cycle, then why bother trying to accelerate it? I doubt to speed up reproduction, because it would be pretty easy to have three children in 14 years. That would be equivalent to Humans having three children in 7 or 8 years.

So canon Vulcans really are different than humans in sex. I rest my case.

No ... canon Vulcan MALES are different than humans when it comes to sex. Plus, Kov specifically stated that "...males are DRIVEN to mate..." (which we already knew thanks to "Amok Time"). AFAIK, there is no indication that Vulcan females can't have sex with their partner any time they want ... which Kevin has pretty much already established in his previous fics...